Can Knicks Cut It Without Amar'e?

By

Kevin Clark

May 1, 2012 10:30 p.m. ET

In the Miami arena where the Knicks lost their second straight playoff game, it takes about 10 seconds to walk from the court to the locker room. On Monday night, Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks' star power forward, managed to squeeze in a franchise-altering moment in that short trek.

The result of Stoudemire's infamous punch to the glass casing around a fire extinguisher was revealed Tuesday: He's almost certainly done for the series.

ENLARGE

Amar'e Stoudemire left the arena Monday with his arm in a sling.
Reuters

A Knicks spokesman said Tuesday that Stoudemire had a small muscle in his hand fixed and is definitely out for Thursday's Game 3, but he is doubtful for Game 4. Additionally, Stoudemire does not have major tendon or ligament damage, according to a person familiar with the situation.

He left the arena in a sling late Monday night, a quiet end to a dramatic night. After he punched the glass immediately after the game, blood began gushing and paramedics rushed into the locker room. Stoudemire did not go to the hospital on Monday night and though he did not comment, he said on his Twitter feed that he was angry at himself.

And now the Knicks' biggest problem is that they still have at least two more games to play in a series that may be headed for a sweep. But, despite an ugly start to the series, the Knicks still might have one hope: Are they better without Stoudemire?

Jason Gay

The first two games in Miami were disastrous. The Knicks lost Game 1 by 33 points in a game in which star Carmelo Anthony made three of his 15 shots. In Game 2, the Knicks lost by 10 and looked like they'd end the night without embarrassing themselves, that is, until Stoudemire's self-inflicted injury.

Of the Knicks' top 15 lineup combinations ranked by production, Stoudemire is featured in just three of them. In fact, the "small" lineup of Anthony playing power forward is the best lineup, outscoring their opponents by 44 points in the 168 minutes they've been on the floor together. Stoudemire and Anthony are outscored by opponents when on the floor together and Anthony's points per game average drops by eight points a game when Stoudemire is playing in the game.

The problem now is that any tinkering is hampered by the fact that versatile rookie guard Iman Shumpert tore his ACL and meniscus in Game 1, meaning the team will have to roll out the deer-in-the-headlights act of second-year guard Landry Fields in any experimental lineup.

The stunning coincidence in Stoudemire's injury occurring on the night of Game 2 is that he injured himself in Game 2 of the last Knicks playoff series. Against the Boston Celtics last spring, he was performing a trick dunk in which he slapped the backboard in pregame warm-ups. He pulled his back and played at half-speed for the rest of the series. That series may provide a blueprint for this one.

The Knicks were swept, of course, as they may be in this series, but Anthony scored 42 in Game 2 with Stoudemire playing limited minutes and 32 in Game Four. It's possible another desperate situation leads Anthony into a similar scoring explosion this week.

Still, even with a case to be made that the Knicks are better without Stoudemire, the team considers him a huge loss.

"Amar'e is a huge piece to this team," center Tyson Chandler said, who deflected blame away from his teammate. "Your emotions run high; it's a split second, a decision can alter things. You can't fault anybody. We got to deal with the repercussions."

Stoudemire's absence, though it may help Anthony on offense, will likely decimate the defense. Since Chandler is the only other big man that can play long stretches of the game, the Knicks may be in trouble defending Heat forward Chris Bosh, who is the third best of Miami's "Big Three" but could still be a matchup problem when the opponent is in crisis, as the Knicks are now.

The Knicks had an off day on Tuesday and will practice on Wednesday before Thursday's Game 3 at 7 p.m. at The Garden. If the Knicks lose the game they will set the record for most consecutive playoff losses with 13, dating back to 2001.

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